St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame and Museum at Ballpark Village is a Home Run
I had a great opportunity late last week to make my first visit to Ballpark Village in St. Louis. It's incredible. Kind of like Disney World for baseball fans. In addition to housing the largest sports bar I've ever seen, Ballpark Village is also home to Fox Sports Midwest's studios for Cardinals and Blues pre-game and post-game shows, and the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame and Museum.
I like baseball. I grew up in Cardinals Nation, so it's almost impossible not to like baseball. Having said that, I'm not insane about it. I know some people that are insane about it. I'm even related to a few of them. But I'm not an insane fan. I like to watch or listen to games, but I don't pay attention to stats. I don't know what the team record is or where we are in the division. Even though I'm not obsessed with baseball, I thought the Hall of Fame and Museum was one of the highlights of my visit to Ballpark Village and Busch Stadium.
Inside the Hall of Fame and Museum, there is an opportunity to hold actual game-used bats from legendary players, like Stan Musial, Ozzie Smith and Yadier Molina (yes, I would say Yadier Molina is already a legendary player). Stan Musial's bat is the most asked for bat from fans, according to the museum staff. Molina comes in second.
The museum also allows fans to see items like World Series rings up close, and has equipment and uniforms on display going all the way back throughout the team's history. I enjoyed seeing models of the old ballparks the Cardinals played in, especially Busch Stadium II, which was the stadium I grew up going to.
We could have spent a lot more time in the museum than we had. I'm definitely planning on making another visit in the future. If you'd like to go to the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame and Museum, hours are 10 a.m to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. The museum remains open through the 7th inning on home game nights. Admission is $12 for adults, $10 for military and seniors, and $8 for children. There is no admission for children 3 and under. The St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame and Museum is on the second floor of Ballpark Village.